SOunds like a good book. I remember someone years ago on alt.magic (whatever happened to that?!) trying to put together a collection of Card Warp variations. Perhaps it was you? Anyway - good luck with it, I'll buy one!

Jeff Pierce Magic wrote:Wow, not sure if this is a joke or not but it sure is mean. Mr. Goat critisism is always welcome, feel free to actually add some.

Jeff

Don't ask for criticism if you then moan about it if you don't like it Mr Pierce!

If you want more details:

1) It looks like you did it yourself.

2) You use 3 different fonts, just because you CAN use multiple fonts, doesn't mean you should

3) The illustration (added since last night) is bad, looks like it was taken from something else and had the folded card crudely photoshopped in

4) The additions since last night make no sense. 3 people holding a zippo and one holding a folded card. Why? I know it is meant to be like a big gig, but why would someone hold up a card at a gig?

5) The gradient yellow in the sign make it look like it is just a badly compressed gif.

I hope you didn't pay anyone for it. It's OK for an amateur. Sort of thing I would imagine seeing on a Glenn Bishop lecture note.

I'll have a think and come up with what I consider better ideas later.

Mr. Goat, Richard's comment was that it was not deserving of the classic effect of Cardwarp, that is a useful criticism, why would you think I'd moan about yours. I did ask for criticism and you gave it, so thank you for your comments. I'll will think about your comments and take them for what they are worth. If you don't like it I can respect that, but no need to be an [censored] about it, and I refer to the Glenn Bishop comment in particular.

BTW, while not a professional illustrator for print this is not my first book, DVD or film. I am a professional in the TV industry and have been for 30 years. I spent 20 years working for FOX and one of my duties among other things was as a graphic designer creating image packages for stations.

I'm curious as to what your background is. Picking out book covers on the internet isn't exactly my idea of better ideas, although I do like the last cover.

Unlike in the real world, the cover of a magic book is not related to sales. In the real world, a good book cover will help sell the book, while a poor book cover will hinder sales.

In our world, magicians don't give a crap, as evidenced by the lousy covers on so many books over the past 100 years.

Jeff asked for opinions, and he got them. I don't like the cover; Goat doesn't like the cover. I deleted Goat's Glenn Bishop comment because it needlessly weakened his argument. His comments are valid, no matter how offensively he sometimes makes them.

I think a dark photo of people holding up lighters at a sporting event is a complete non-sequitor for a book about Card Warp. The trick is a magical and intellectual exercise, not a sporting event or game.

The book covers that Goat has displayed here are all prime examples of commercial graphic design and put the covers of most magic books to shame.

? you asked about your cover. I followed up on the theme from the TED talk.

Funny us having this chat here seeing as how we've been discussing items inside that book off and on almost since you announced the project. If the refolding swindle is already in the book - great - if not I'll get it working on its own schedule and try it out when circumstances permit.

Wwhy would someone replace their head with a tyre? It makes no sense.
Why would someone pour a drink upside down, so the water flowed away from the glass? It makes no sense.
why would someone replace their eyes with a cog? It makes no sense.

Richard Kaufman wrote:I think a dark photo of people holding up lighters at a sporting event is a complete non-sequitor for a book about Card Warp. The trick is a magical and intellectual exercise, not a sporting event or game.

I can't imagine that anyone with an interest in this book wouldn't understand the cover. The cover fits neatly with the name of the book (i.e. "Tour") while clearly indicating the contents (i.e. "Card Warp".)

I prefer Jeff's cover to most of the samples that Damian (Goat) Jennings posted.

Richard Kaufman wrote:Unlike in the real world, the cover of a magic book is not related to sales. In the real world, a good book cover will help sell the book, while a poor book cover will hinder sales.

In our world, magicians don't give a crap, as evidenced by the lousy covers on so many books over the past 100 years.

Jeff asked for opinions, and he got them. I don't like the cover; Goat doesn't like the cover. I deleted Goat's Glenn Bishop comment because it needlessly weakened his argument. His comments are valid, no matter how offensively he sometimes makes them.

I think a dark photo of people holding up lighters at a sporting event is a complete non-sequitor for a book about Card Warp. The trick is a magical and intellectual exercise, not a sporting event or game.

The book covers that Goat has displayed here are all prime examples of commercial graphic design and put the covers of most magic books to shame.

Richard I'm not the least bit upset over his comments, except the Bishop one. Everyone has their opinions. I guess I sometimes forget that we are magicians and for the most part we are just un-hip.

Let me explain to those who don't get it about the cover. First off it's an image from a rock concert, not a sporting event. To be more precise it's a take off on Van's Warped Tour, which is a music festival those youngsters like to go to. So, a non-sequitor, I don't agree at all, but maybe I'm just more hip than some,LOL! I and many others like it and think it's an imaginative idea for a cover. While the image is not 100% finished, I think the buying public will get it. It's supposed to look like it has a comic or graphic novel look to it.
I thank everyone for their comments, including Richard and Mr. Goat but that does not mean you are right.

Jonathan Townsend wrote:? you asked about your cover. I followed up on the theme from the TED talk.

Funny us having this chat here seeing as how we've been discussing items inside that book off and on almost since you announced the project. If the refolding swindle is already in the book - great - if not I'll get it working on its own schedule and try it out when circumstances permit.

Looking forward to enjoying your book when it comes out

J

Jonathan email me direct as i have no idea what you are talking about, LOL!

Two: I have an interest in the book and the cover has no meaning to me.

Is it important that the cover has some special meaning to you? Is having "Card Warp" in the title not explanatory enough?

If I used your criteria (i.e. the cover must have meaning to me), I'd probably have to discard half the books on my shelf. What's the deep meaning of (for instance) of Sankey Pankey (a very good book)? I'm a fan of your work and have many of Kaufman penned books on my shelf, but I can't say that I get any special meaning or "classiness" from each and every single one of them. And that's OK with me, because the material is generally excellent.

The cover of Sankey Pankey has no meaning at all. It's abstract, created with a Colorforms set put out by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Often my covers were prepared at the last minute when the rest of the book was done and I was rushing to go to press.

When I say that the cover of the Card Warp book has no meaning to me, I say that in the sense that it is obviously not a piece of art, but a selling point, and since I don't go to sporting events or concerts, I have no point of reference for a bunch of people holding cigarette lighters in the air. And that doesn't seem to have any connection to a book about Card Warp from my point of view.

I get what you're saying Richard, but I'm pretty confident that having the word "Cardwarp" so prominently in the title, would quite clearly convey a pretty strong idea of the contents to potential buyers of this book even if they didn't get the added subtext ("tour").

As someone with a lot of experience publishing, I'm interested in how you would have marketed this book. For instance, what constitutes a "classy" title? I really like the punny/clever title "Secrets Draun from the Underground" and wonder how Jeff's title "The Card Warp Tour" is any less clear than that.

Richard Kaufman wrote: I deleted Goat's Glenn Bishop comment because it needlessly weakened his argument. His comments are valid, no matter how offensively he sometimes makes them.

It was just another sad attempt at the goat trying to be funny and amusing at someone elses expense. (My Opinion).

Jeff Pierce Magic wrote:I thank everyone for their comments, including Richard and Mr. Goat but that does not mean you are right.

Jeff Pierce

Good luck on your book Jeff here is my opinion - take advice or not - however make and package your book the way you want and in the way that your skills, resources (funds) can get the job done. I feel that in magic if there is good stuff in it - I think word will get around and I hope your venture brings you success!

I have always thought that there are two kinds of book publishing in magic - books for collectors and books for "workers"...